The present invention relates to product packaging. More particularly, it relates to presenting a multiplicity of individual packaged good articles as a unitary package including a handle for convenient transport.
A wide variety of goods, such as consumable goods, are sold to consumers in packaged form on a mass-production basis. Exemplary conventional packaged formats include flexible or rigid bags or pouches (e.g., plastic film; metallized, flexible laminate; or foil-based), boxes, canisters, bottles (e.g., glass or plastic), etc. For particular applications, the packaging is selected in accordance with the product being contained and/or consumer preferences. For example, liquid beverages are commonly packaged in cans or bottles, whereas solid, edible food products (e.g., snack foods, ready-to-eat cereals, etc.) are typically packaged in flexible bags and/or boxes. Regardless, the size of the package is normally selected pursuant to consumer preferences, and relates to desired serving sizes. For example, many products are sold to consumers in approximately single serving size packages (e.g., beverages in 12-ounce cans, yogurt in 2.25-ounce tubes or 6-ounce cups, snack foods in 3.75-ounce bags, etc.). Other packaging schemes provide multiple servings in a format desired by consumers (e.g., milk in one-gallon containers, ready-to-eat cereal in 24-ounce bag-in-a-box, snack foods in 12.25-ounce bags, etc.).
Often times, consumers wish to purchase more than one single-serving sized package good article for subsequent consumption. To meet this demand, manufacturers commonly group a number of individually packaged products into a separate package for subsequent sale. For example, eight 2.25-ounce tubes of Yoplait® Go-Gurt® yogurt are packaged in a single box; six or more individually packaged granola bars are packaged and sold in a single box; etc. Another common example of multiple, individually packaged items grouped together for subsequent sale is canned or bottled beverages. One common format for this type of packaging is to simply package the individual cans or bottles within a paperboard box. Alternatively, plastic rings or other carriers are employed to interconnect the canned or bottle products as a single unit. Once again, the group packaging technique is specific to the size and/or weight of the individual packaged goods.
While quite viable for smaller and/or rigidly packaged items (e.g., bottles), the above-described packaging techniques are ill suited for packaging a multiplicity of larger or jumbo-sized packaged good articles (hereinafter referred to as “multi-pack package”). To this end, bulk sale of packaged goods to consumers has become increasingly popular due to cost savings. Of course, a “bulk”purchase can be facilitated by directing the consumer to manually place two or more of the products, especially those larger sized versions, in the consumer's shopping cart via a promotional description placed in close proximity to the product. However, consumers and retailers strongly prefer that the multiple items be secured to one another for ease of transport and storage.
With the above in mind, bulk packaging of relatively large products requires, in most basic terms, two or more existing (individually manufactured) or discrete packaged good articles packaged or otherwise bound together and then sold as a single bulk item. Beyond connecting the individual packaged good items to one another, the multi-pack package desirably facilitates convenient handling by the consumer. For relatively small packaged items, the employed unitary packaging technique is likewise relatively small and thus inherently easy to handle (e.g., multiplicity of fruit snack pouches packaged within a single box). For larger items, however, accepted package formats fail to satisfy these demands.
For example, paper towel rolls are commonly packaged in a transparent protective film outer packaging layer and sold as individual units. Further, bulk packaging (i.e., multi-pack package) of these individual paper towel rolls is also available whereby a number of independently packaged paper towel rolls (e.g., four, six, twelve, etc.) are grouped within a larger, outer packaging (e.g., shrink-wrap plastic film). This bulk packaging technique can be employed because the contained products (i.e., paper towel rolls) will not be irrevocably damaged when subjected to, and maintained within, a shrink-wrap package. The resulting multi-product package is quite large and bulky, and does not provide a readily identifiable handle or other means for conveniently transporting the package.
In addition to the bulky appearance and handling concerns described above, bulk packaging of many other packaged items must address potential product damage issues. For example, multi-serving packages for snack food items (e.g., pretzels, potato chips, Bugles®, etc.), typically entail a thin-walled plastic or metallized, flexible laminate bag. Were these packaged goods subjected to a shrink-wrap operation as part of a bulk packaging approach, food products contained within the bags would likely be crushed or otherwise damaged.
Other attempts to bulk package a multiplicity of relatively large, individual packages of bagged, potentially crushable snack food products have been relatively simplistic. Namely, two or more (typically three) of the individual product bags are loosely maintained within a sufficiently large outer bag (typically formed of polypropylene film) that is subsequently closed. With some applications, a top of the outer bag forms an opening through which a consumer can insert his/her hand for transporting the bulk package. While viable, this technique presents certain potential drawbacks. For example, the individual packaged product bags are somewhat loose within the outer bag, such that a relatively uniform shape of the overall package cannot be achieved. Instead, each bulk package will likely assume a different overall shape, resulting in wasted shelf space when multiple ones of the bulk packages are placed side-by-side. In addition, the outer bag bulk packaging has a “bulky” appearance, possibly leading to a consumer impression that the multi-pack product is over packaged. Consumers may be less likely to purchase such a product due to concerns that this perceived “over packaging” results in higher costs and/or is not environmentally friendly. Alternatively, multiple, large bags of crushable products can be packaged in a large box. While addressing the shelf storage space concerns described above, the outer box entails relatively significant costs due to the expense of paperboard required to form the box.
Though not a multi-pack package, Sun-Maid® raisins are available in a “twin pack” format by which two, tightly packed 2.25-pound packages (formed foil pouches) are connected at their respective sides by a strip of tape, as well as a short handle extending across the respective tops. This twin pack packaging does not include a separate bottom support element, instead relying upon gussets formed at the bottom of each package for overall, upright stability. Unfortunately, this packaging technique is unworkable with three or more individual packages (i.e., a multi-pack package) as the individual to pouch/package bottoms are not separately supported, such that any intermediate packages (i.e., any package not otherwise connected to the short handle) may simply fall away from the remaining packages upon lifting of the handle. In addition, the Sun-Maid® raisin twin pack technique relies significantly upon an inherent stability of the individual packages (due to the tight, dense nature of the raisins within the foil pouch and gussets formed on the bottom thereof) for overall stability. Many other packaged good articles are not inherently self-standing.
Another concern not addressed by the Sun-Maid® raisin twin pack and other multi-pack packages relates to use of existing packaged good articles. It is highly desirable from the manufacturer's standpoint to use existing packaged good articles as part of a “new” multi-pack package so that new individual package formats (and thus new packaging equipment) are not required. In many instances, the individual packaged good articles otherwise included within the multi-pack package would be sold by the same retailer along with the multi-pack package. In this regard, most product packaging includes a bar code symbol (e.g., UPC code) displayed on an outer surface thereof. The retailer utilizes this bar code as part of its computerized customer purchasing system whereby a database is established that correlates a certain price with numbers or other identifiers (in machine-readable form) provided by a corresponding bar code. Thus, where a particular packaged good item is offered by a retailer to consumers as both a single item and as part of a bulk- or multi-pack package, different bar codes must be assigned. In other words, the bar code associated with a single packaged good item (that is otherwise offered for sale on an individual basis) cannot be used with the multi-pack package. For example, the Sun-Maid® twin pack incorporates two “existing” packages of Sun-Maid® raisins, each having an identical bar code. Thus, when provided as part of a twin pack, the bar codes associated with the individual packages must be covered with a separate component (such as opaque tape) and a “new” bar code must be applied to at least one of the twin pack packages. Clearly, this entails additional material and labor costs, and raises the possibility that the bar code cover component will be unintentionally or intentionally removed. Under these circumstances, it is possible that the single product package bar code will be “scanned” and the corresponding price for the individual product be incorrectly charged for the twin pack product unit, resulting in a monetary loss to the retailer.
Consumer demand for multi-pack or bulk packaged good articles, especially larger packaged good articles, continues to rise. Unfortunately, current packaging techniques do not satisfy consumer, retailer, and manufacturer's needs. As such, a need exists for a multiple packaged good article packaging that is easy to handle, is structurally sound, and does not appear over packaged.